


Child of surprise

by TinyThoughts



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: 4 pages later, Feel-good, Fluff, I REGRET NOTHING, M/M, Magic, Oops, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Unicorns, Winter, fairytale, foal, i swear its only softness and sweet and cute, just read it, kind of, oh wait thats a spoiler, roach gets pregnant, roach meets someone, soft, this was supposed to be a short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:35:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27648955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinyThoughts/pseuds/TinyThoughts
Summary: “You were right.” He calls as a greeting, and Jaskier hits a sour note on his lute.“‘Scuse me?!” Jaskiers eyes are huge, startled. “Did you hit your head while hunting?!”Geralt chuckles and hangs up his outer clothes.“You were right about Roach. There is something up with her.”“OH! Yes, I told you so! You know what it is?”
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 20
Kudos: 247





	Child of surprise

**Author's Note:**

> So my darling gremling @Geogrewife were supposed to help me pick a Wip to work on but made me write this instead.   
> Please enjoy!

“Somethings wrong with Roach.”  
Geralt frowns at Jaskiers words. They have been staying in a cottage all winter, deep in the forest away from prying eyes. They found it when the first hint of gold appeared in the trees, and they decided that this is a good a place as any.  
It has been restful. No big bad monsters around, just the normal inhabitants. Roach has been away a lot, roaming the forest but always returning unharmed at nightfall. The cottage didn’t have a stable so they simply made a new door to the cottage, making a pen out of one of the corners. Geralt can be a handyman when it comes to the comforts of Roach and Jaskier relentlessly teases him about it.  
This is one of those nights they spend in peace, wind whistling among the trees and hard rain falling on the roof.  
“No?” Geralt protests, because he can see nothing wrong with her? And he is clearly the superior horseman out of the two.  
“Uh, yes? Geralt, I know I know very little of horses but something is clearly different? Can’t you tell?”   
Geralt puts down his gwent cards and gets up from the wooden chair he sat on. Roach is ignoring him, munching on her hay in her corner, resting one hind leg as she does when she is relaxed. He walks up to her, hand on his chin and eyes squinting. He looks her over but sees nothing obvious, so he focuses, letting all other sounds fade away.   
Geralt rarely uses his witcher senses on her, but she smells like usual? He senses no wounds, no pain, nothing sticking out. Her fur is all shaggy now in wintertime, but that’s about it.  
“I can’t see anything.” Geralt mutters, returning to the table. “Did you look at my cards?”  
Jaskier scoffs.  
“I don’t need to look at your cards to win. Just. Let’s keep an eye on her?”

Time passes slowly. Winter is dark, and every day Roach wanders the woods. Geralt is out hunting for dinner but stumbles on her tracks among the trees. He is very far away, he wasn’t aware Roach made such long trips.  
He suspects Jaskier might be right. Something is off with Roach. She is getting slower, sometimes in the mornings her legs get a little swollen. Geralt massages her and tries to keep her warm and well fed but he will not be in the way when she wants out.  
But it’s probably time to see what she is up to. It seems like this stretch is well walked, many hoofprints covering the ground in both directions.  
Geralt follows her tracks and stops mid step when he notices where they lead. Up ahead is a clearing, a frozen creak glistening in the sunlight, snow heavy on the branches. It looks magical. On the other side of the clearing stands Roach. Only, she is not alone. Next to her stands a white horse. So white it almost can’t be seen against the snow. It has long white mane with grey streaks and the body is powerful.   
And it’s a unicorn.  
The horn is long, sharp. Dangerous. The unicorn could easily kill Roach with it.  
But it doesn’t. They are standing peacefully next to each other, her dark fuzzy fur a stark contrast. They use their muzzles to push away the snow to get to the grass underneath.   
Geralt barely dares to move, barely dares to breathe.   
As far as he knew there were no unicorns left. Obviously he was wrong, and it has taken a liking to his Roach.  
Geralt tries to back away quietly, stepping into his own footsteps, so that he doesn’t startle them. But the unicorn must sense him, his head shoots up and then runs away.  
Roach startles and looks around, but when she sees Geralt she relaxes.  
Well.  
“Hi girl.” He greets her. “Uh… sorry. I didn’t mean to startle your... friend?”  
Oh. Ooooh. That’s why she’s been away so much.  
That’s why there was more than one set of hoofprints. Probably. He wonders how long they have met out here in the woods, and he feels oddly protective of her.  
Roach makes no effort to walk up to him so he leaves her there in the clearing.

When he returns to Jaskier some time later, two winterbirds under his arm, he realizes Jaskier was right. He kicks his boots on the doorframe on the way in, ridding himself of most of the snow.  
“You were right.” He calls as a greeting, and Jaskier hits a sour note on his lute.  
“‘Scuse me?!” Jaskiers eyes are huge, startled. “Did you hit your head while hunting?!”  
Geralt chuckles and hangs up his outer clothes.  
“You were right about Roach. There is something up with her.”  
“OH! Yes, I told you so! You know what it is?”  
Geralt settles down to pluck the birds.  
“Yeah. She has met someone.”  
Jaskier picks up his playing again, plucking on the strings in a soft melody.  
“Oh really? Are there more horses in the woods? Or a nymph perhaps?”  
“Unicorn actually.” Again, Jaskier makes a sour note on the lute and Geralt cringes at the sound.  
“Sorry, but. Did you just say you saw a fucking unicorn?!?” Jaskier gapes, not believing a word he hears.  
“Yeah. It got scared of me though and ran away.”   
“THIS IS WHY I NEED TO COME WITH YOU GERALT!!!” Jaskier abruptly stands up from his chair, dragging a hand through his hair. “I MISSED A UNICORN!”  
Geralt smiles again, fingers still working on their upcoming dinner.  
“You will never let me out of your sight again, are you?” Geralt says fondly and Jaskier huffs.  
“You are absolutely right!” He plops back in the chair again but lets his lute hang from his hand and rests on the floor. “I can’t believe this.”  
“Don’t pout. I’ll bring you with me in a few days.”

And so he does. They let Roach get a headstart of a few hours, but it takes two months before they see it again.  
By then Roach has eaten through a third of their collected hay for the winter. Her legs are still swollen and her back seems to sink a little.  
Geralt is starting to suspect he knows what is wrong with her.

They follow her to the clearing, this time walking with her instead of sneaking behind. They see her go about her usual routine, scraping a hole in the stream to drink and them starting to push the snow around.   
It takes almost an hour before she raises her head and she whinnies towards the woods.  
There is a deep rumbling neigh in return.  
And there he is. He trots up to her, his neck curved and tail raised.

Because it is a he, Geralt realizes. A stallion.  
And there is nothing wrong with Roach. She is with foal.

Beside him Jaskier draws in a breath, mouth open with awe. It’s like a picture from a fairytale, the snow glistening, the world holding its breath. The unicorn nuzzles her thick fur, and they start scratching each other's backs.   
Next to him Geralt can hear Jaskier sniffle, and he is not far away from breaking a tear himself. The unicorn sees them, ignoring Roach buffing his side to continue, and stares.  
Geralt really, really hopes he won't attack. He is not sure he would be able to flee it, and that would mean fighting it.  
Luckily it seems to decide they are no threat and turns away. The two horses go back to inspecting the other and then walk off into the woods without a backwards glance.  
Jaskier and Geralt stay in the clearing for a while longer, breaths as clouds in front of them.

“Wow.” Jaskier finally manages, wiping at his eyes with his ungloved hands. “Too bad I can never sing about this.” he smiles, blinking up at the afternoon skies.  
Geralt sees the reasoning in that too. The moment rumors of a unicorn comes out there will be people hunting it.  
He takes Jaskiers freezing hands in his and leads them back towards the cottage. 

When the first spring flowers peak through the snow Roach is heavy. It’s clear they won’t be going anywhere for a while. So they prepare to stay for even longer. Geralt leaves for two weeks, trekking towards the closest village. They need more supplies and food, and getting there by foot and back is going to take some time.  
To Jaskiers surprise (and Geralt's despair) he returns through a portal, Yennefer close behind. She stays for a few weeks, cooing at Roach like she never had before, lovingly petting her down and spoiling her absolutely rotten.

She comes back in the middle of summer. Because it’s time.  
During the night Roach is restless. She walks around outside the cottage, snorting and panting. Geralt, always the light sleeper wakes up and goes out to her. There is no need for her to sleep indoors during this time of year, and she leads him towards her clearing.  
It takes another hour for her to lay down, and by then both Jaskier and Yen found him by her side. Roaches sides are slick with sweat, and the small hoofs sticking out from her are just as brown as she is.  
Geralt wasn’t sure what to expect of this foal, if it would be white or brown. But it would seem that it’s brown. When the first early rays of sunshine filter through the leaves the foal, a little stallion, takes its first steps. His eyes are pale blue, his body a dark brown like his mother, and his mane a shade paler. There is no sign of a horn and Geralt can’t decide if he is relieved or disappointed.

They stay for some time longer, making sure Roach is alright before retreating back a bit. By now they have learned the unicorns habits a little better.  
Geralt and Jaskier double back to the cottage to bring some breakfast back. Jaskier squeeze his hand all the way there, and when they get inside the door Jaskier pulls Geralt close.  
He smiles at Geralt, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.  
“Why do I feel like a proud parent?” He asks and Geralt chuckles.   
He couldn’t agree more.

Jaskier decides to name the foal Pegasus. The little thing is feisty, he nips after them even though he doesn’t have any teeth yet. He kicks and he bucks and he flies over the grass. His father didn’t come on the first day, nor the second.   
But when he comes there is a full show of sniffing and buffing. When Roach thinks he is too rough on Pegasus she steps between them, ears slicked back and teeth on display.  
She turns around and half heartedly kicks at the unicorn and Geralt swells with pride.  
When they calm down Pegasus tries to imitate his parents, doing his best with his short neck to bend down towards the grass. He can’t quite reach and stumbles.  
“I can stay here for hours.” Yen says softly, a soft smile on her lips.  
Geralt knows how she feels.

And they do. They stay for hours and hours to watch Pegasus and Roach, sometimes around the cottage and sometimes in the clearing.  
Still no horn in sight, just a small bump in the middle of his forehead. Pegasus seems to have taken a great liking to Jaskier. Whenever the bard sits in the grass, leaning back on the wooden wall with his lute, Pegasus scampers over to inspect. He pulls at his clothes, steals his expensive hat and tries to nibble at the lute.

They talk about what they should do. Yennefer comes and goes, unable to stay away from the little menace of a foal. She claims she wish to study him, if he got any magical abilities, but they all know better.

Perhaps they will make their way towards Kaer Morhen. The area isn’t perhaps the safest for a horse, but at least there won’t be any prying eyes in case Pegasus actually shows any abilities. Jaskier speaks of the coast again, and about Lettenhove. Traveling with a foal however is not the safest nor the most practical thing.  
But the summer is still young.

They have time.

**Author's Note:**

> Im Dapandapod on Tumblr, come say hi! <3


End file.
